National Income and Product Accounts Gross Domestic Product, 1st quarter 2012 (advance estimate)  —  Real gross domestic product — the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States — increased at an annual rate of 2.2 percent in the first quarter of 2012 …

Obama Web ad says Romney wouldn't have ordered bin Laden raid  —  President Obama's campaign is using Bill Clinton to argue Mitt Romney would not have launched the raid to capture Osama bin Laden last year.  —  The argument is being made to coincide with the one-year anniversary of bin Laden's death.

Why Jeb Bush doesn't want veep  —  He's the GOP vice presidential pick that Democrats fear most — a brassy choice who would likely deliver his crucial home state, boost the ticket with Hispanics and Catholics and appeal to both conservatives and independents.  —  The problem: Jeb Bush apparently doesn't want the job.

Strassel: The President Has a List  —  Barack Obama attempts to intimidate contributors to Mitt Romney's campaign.  —  Try this thought experiment: You decide to donate money to Mitt Romney.  You want change in the Oval Office, so you engage in your democratic right to send a check.

House Defies Veto Threat on Hacking Bill  —  WASHINGTON — Defying a veto threat from President Obama, the House on Thursday passed a bill that encourages intelligence agencies and businesses to share information about threats to computer systems, including attacks on American Web sites by hackers in China and other countries.

Death of a Fairy Tale  —  This was the month the confidence fairy died.  —  For the past two years most policy makers in Europe and many politicians and pundits in America have been in thrall to a destructive economic doctrine.  According to this doctrine, governments should respond …

Obama administration scraps child labor restrictions for farms  —  The Labor Department withdrew a proposed rule Thursday that would have limited the work that children can perform on farms.  —  The proposal drew heavy criticism from rural-state lawmakers and agricultural leaders …

'80s Band Contemplating Legal Action Against Rove Group  —  An Obama-bashing commercial by Karl Rove's Super PAC appears to sample from an '80s electronica hit — but Yello did not approve this message.  —  Swiss band Yello  —  Source: s3-ak.buzzfed.com  —  Swiss electronica band …

Anheuser-Busch Warns UFC About Fighters' Sexist, Homophobic Comments  —  Major Sponsor Threatens Action ‘If Incidents Continue’  —  Anheuser-Busch, a major sponsor of Ultimate Fighting Championship, has reprimanded the mixed-martial arts organization for remarks made by some fighters.

At 92, Bandit to Hollywood but Hero to Soldiers  —  MASSAPEQUA, N.Y. — One of the world's most prolific bootleggers of Hollywood DVDs loves his morning farina.  He has spent eight years churning out hundreds of thousands of copies of “The Hangover,” “Gran Torino” and other first-run movies …

Scott Brown releases tax returns; Dems cry foul on his ‘everyman’ image  —  Six years of tax returns released Friday by Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) showed that his income has grown significantly since becoming a senator in 2010, prompting Democrats to cry foul on the “everyman” image Brown has promoted.

Spanish economy in “huge crisis” after credit downgrade  —  (Reuters) - Spain's sickly economy faces a “crisis of huge proportions”, a minister said on Friday, as unemployment hit its highest level in two decades and Standard and Poor's weighed in with a two-notch downgrade of the government's debt.

Nebraska battle complicates GOP effort to retake Senate  —  The Senate Republican primary in Nebraska has turned into a proxy war between conservatives and establishment Republicans that could complicate efforts to wrest control of the Senate from Democrats.

Is Our Adults Learning?  —  In 2009, we had a big debate about whether to pass a stimulus package.  Many esteemed and/or Nobel Prize-winning economists like Joseph Stiglitz, Larry Summers and Christina Romer argued that it would help lift the economy out of recession.

Secret Service probing foreign hard-partying allegations going back to 2000  —  (CBS News) WASHINGTON - The Secret Service sex scandal is getting wider.  —  The dispute over payment to a prostitute in Cartagena, Colombia, by a Secret Service agent has triggered new charges of hard partying and impropriety by agents around the globe.

Arizona Is (Probably) Not a Swing State  —  Two polls released this week show the presidential race essentially tied in Arizona, with one giving Barack Obama a lead of two percentage points and the other giving Mitt Romney a lead of two percentage points.  The Obama campaign has suggested …

Republicans seek to hold attorney general in contempt over Fast and Furious  —  House GOP leaders draft a citation accusing Eric H. Holder Jr. and the Justice Department of hindering their inquiry into the ATF gun-tracking operation.  —  Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. says he and his Justice Department …

Martin attorney: Put Zimmerman in jail  —  (CNN) — George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer accused of wrongly killing Trayvon Martin, will not immediately have to turn over donations made to his website, a Florida judge said Friday.  —  Zimmerman collected about $204,000 …

Voter ID suspended for recall elections  —  By Patrick Marley of the Journal Sentinel  —  Madison - A pair of appeals court rulings this week make clear the state's new voter ID law will remain suspended through the May and June recall elections.  —  One of the opinions, released Thursday …

The Potential Impact of the People's Rights Amendment Goes Far Beyond Restricting Freedom of Speech  —  Co-blogger Eugene Volokh has an excellent post on how the proposed People's Rights Amendment threatens freedom of speech.  But it's important to recognize that the proposal goes far beyond …

Clinton Backers Wait for Obama's to Cut Checks for Super-PAC  —  Bill and Hillary Clinton's network of political donors has a message for President Barack Obama's longtime backers when it comes to multi-million dollar contributions — you first.  —  Through March, only 12 of Obama's 532 top fundraisers …

ALEC Has Special Exemption In South Carolina's Lobbying Law … REACT:  —  FOLLOW:  —  Video, ALEC Stand Your Ground, Alec, Alec Common Cause, Alec Lobbying, Alec Lobbyists, Alec South Carolina, Alec Voter Id, American Legislative Exchange Council, Common Cause, Politics News

EPA Official Has History of Unfair Attacks on Oil and Gas  —  Last night, Region 6 EPA Administrator Al Armendariz released an apology for comparing his agency regulating oil and gas companies to Roman centurions crucifying villagers:  —  I apologize to those I have offended and regret my poor choice of words.